Upside Down
There is always another side to the story. Cast * Sam Yao * Albert * Maxine Myers * Paula Cohen * Professor Van Ark Plot Vessel Nine Albert promises to explain exactly what is going on as he gives you a tour of the flotilla facility. Meanwhile, Maxine is explaining the situation to Paula elsewhere. To The Medical Boat It seems that Comansys’ ex-CEO, Diana, is the real villain; she wanted to get hold of Maxine and find out what is hidden underneath the Township. Not A Good Choice The injections which prevent Diana from controlling Albert and co are also killing their skin cells. It’s a large sacrifice to make but, Albert says, it’s worth it. Backup Plan It turns out that before the apocalypse, Diana was putting mind control drugs into the water at Comansys to keep the entire company pliant. Come Along Albert talks us through his final moments with Van Ark. He’s explaining how it feels to be mind controlled while Van Ark rants about his betrayal by Diana. To The Laboratory Van Ark continues his rant about the people of Abel as he uses his mind control device to set a group of zombies against his foes. Must Dash Before escaping, Van Ark injects Albert with the mind freeing formula and gives him a box full of more to use later. CeretinPlus Back in the present. Albert explains that Maxine is safe as long as she stays out of reach of Diana, and that people who have drunk CeretinPlus should beware. Transcript ALBERT GOODALL : Runner Five, I’m sorry I’ve kept you waiting. SAM YAO: Yeah, well, is he also sorry he kept Maxine and Ed and all our other people locked up here for months? And almost killed you all? ALBERT GOODALL : I’ve had our tech department rig up one of those little headsets for me, too, Sam. It seemed like a sensible idea. There’s no time to waste. And yes, I am sorry about Maxine. I’m sorry it’s come to any of this. All I feel about any of this is sorry. SAM YAO: Oh, right. Well, right. ALBERT GOODALL : Listen, will you come with me? After we sank the Ariadne, we’ve had to redistribute supplies and personnel around the various vessels. Your Ed’s been very helpful. He’s the only mechanic we have on board. And Maxine is filling Paula in on what we’ve been doing. I thought you might like to take a look at our operation, and well, I don’t want to be grandiose, but people here rely on seeing my face. It makes them feel better. I was the first, you see. SAM YAO: No, we don’t see! You know we don’t see! And we overheard Maxine when we were – well, you know – spying on you. She said someone was targetting Abel. If that’s not you - ALBERT GOODALL: I will explain everything. Just come with me. We’ll head up this gangplank and up to Vessel Nine. That’s the scientific boat. ALBERT GOODALL: Careful where you put your feet, Five. There’s debris from the Ariadne all over the deck. So, you must know by now that Diana – I believe some of your people met her in London – is incredibly dangerous. Perhaps the most dangerous person in the world. SAM YAO: We saw her shoot a boy who was just doing odd jobs for the Exmoor Militia! ALBERT GOODALL: That’s not the half of it, I’m afraid. In fact, there’s no “perhaps” about it. If we can’t find some way to neutralize her, she’ll make the zombie apocalypse look like an afternoon tea at the Ritz. SAM YAO: What’s she doing that’s so dangerous, then? Because, so far, you’re the ones who mind-controlled our people out of Abel and kept them here. ALBERT GOODALL: Ah, yes, we did. For their own protection. But yes, I’m sorry. The thing is, Runner Five, there are some people who are tremendously susceptible to mind control. We have some theories about why that is. And those people – Diana wanted yours in particular. Maxine, more than anyone. She’s desperate to get access to Abel’s underground biolab to further her research. When we stopped her mind-controlling your people from the inside, we were afraid she’d resort to a frontal attack, and if she got hold of the technology under Abel – look at what she’s already done without it! You heard what she’s done in London. She’s forming an army. SAM YAO: Wait, that wasn’t you? I thought it was Comansys. ALBERT GOODALL: Diana used to be our CEO. We were the first ones she took under her control. And it took a - a greater sacrifice than some of us can bear to get away from her. I want you to see why I look like this. SAM YAO: The uh, the falling apart limbs? I mean, I didn’t like to mention that you like a - ALBERT GOODALL: I look like a zombie. Yes, I do. Except as you can see, I’m not. SAM YAO: I’m going to guess it’s not the most elaborate Halloween costume ever. COMANSYS WORKER: intercom Albert to the medical boat. Albert to the medical boat, now. ALBERT GOODALL: Come, and I’ll show you. Quickly. We’ve put this off long enough. GOODALL shouts COMANSYS WORKER: How’s that, Al? ALBERT GOODALL: Hurts like the devil. COMANSYS WORKER: It’ll keep the rot from spreading for another week or so. ALBERT GOODALL: How long, do you think? COMANSYS WORKER: That arm? I think we can keep it for you with quartering? for another month, maybe longer. ALBERT GOODALL: And then? COMANSYS WORKER: It’ll have to come off, you know that. The treatment’s killing the cells every time you have the injection. ALBERT GOODALL: This is the price we pay. We can break Diana’s mind control. We have broken it. Well, I had it broken for me. But this is the price. Every time I inject myself with this chemical, I buy another few days of freedom, and the injection site necrotizes a little more. SAM YAO: That’s – God, that’s awful. ALBERT GOODALL: You see why we don’t want to inflict this treatment on your people unless we really have to. Hence the cryo-storage. SAM YAO: Yes, I see, but can’t you - ALBERT GOODALL: It’s worth it, if that’s what you’re wondering. I’d rather be myself in mind and lose my limbs than the other way around. But it’s not a good choice. Come on, let’s get out of here. I always need fresh air after that. You know, Runner Five, this isn’t the first time you and I have met. I’ll tell you all about it. ALBERT GOODALL: There, see? They’re recovering what they can from the Ariadne. That’s the ship we were on. We had to set off those depth charges. They’re rigged all around our flotilla. We’d rather die than let Diana take us. There’s almost nowhere we’re safe from her. After she found our research center in the riverbed, the Laetitia Greenwald was our last option. We would have warned you, too, but well, we knew Amelia Spens was in charge at Abel, and we knew damned well she wasn’t to be trusted. SAM YAO: But what has Diana done? ALBERT GOODALL: She had all of us under her control. Some time before the apocalypse, you know. At least, that’s what we suspect now. The whole company. A great democracy. laughs That was the big claim of Comansys – we were a cooperative, we all had to agree on decisions the company made. But democracies are vulnerable, you know, to anything that can influence a whole population – bias, prejudice, fears of terrorism. And mind control drugs. She’d been putting them into the water at Comansys for months, we suspect. I’m not sure I even knew what I was doing when I was working with Van Ark. SAM YAO: Wait, you worked with Van Ark? ALBERT GOODALL: Diana sent me there. Embedded agent. I was there the day you brought the complex down, Runner Five. of PROFESSOR VAN ARK’s base being destroyed Van Ark knew what was happening. Your Runner Three told him an attack was planned. PROFESSOR VAN ARK: Damn them to hell! Albert? Albert! ALBERT GOODALL: Diana had promised him assistance, you see. They’d been working together. But when it came to it - PROFESSOR VAN ARK: Comansys. Comansys, come in! Diana! I’ve done everything you asked, where are you? ALBERT GOODALL: - she didn’t come. She abandoned Van Ark. PROFESSOR VAN ARK: She’s not coming. Albert, with me, at the double. Quick now, quickly! Backup plan. Quickly Albert! Run! AUTOMATED VOICE: Setup completed. Starting Flashback Mode. of PROFESSOR VAN ARK’s base PROFESSOR VAN ARK: Diana thinks she’s so clever. Thinks I’m expendable, does she? Damn her! I’ve got a few more things to show her. You’re very quiet. ALBERT GOODALL: I was quiet. It’s a funny thing, mind control. You can talk, but you don’t necessarily want to. You don’t really want to do anything you haven’t been told to do. The worst thing is how happy you feel all the time. As long as I was obeying Diana’s orders, I was so happy! The things I did… I hate thinking of that now. PROFESSOR VAN ARK: Use my own bloody zombies against me, will they? I wouldn’t be surprised – I wouldn’t be bloody surprised if Diana bloody Duncan bloody Pedley had given Abel Township that technology just to get rid of me! That’s just her bloody style. Use one against the other, keep us all guessing. Blast it! Well, let’s see them override this. Plug in that loudspeaker, Albert. squeals, tone rings Ha! That’ll do it. Zombies are chasing them, now. Come on, Albert. If we’re quick, we’ll catch up with that damned Runner Five. And as for you, Albert, you’ll stay a little back. Just a little behind me. I think this should convince you – rings Oh, yes. If you think I don’t know you’re a spy for Diana, you’re quite wrong. Come along. Time to pick up Runner Five. PROFESSOR VAN ARK: What are you doing with that vial? What possible use do you think that could be? splashes, acid hisses, PROFESSOR VAN ARK shouts I’m going to kill you, Five! Long or slow, I’m going to kill you! I’m going to melt your eyeballs off, I’m going to dissolve your bones! You have no idea what I’ve already done to you! Albert! Albert! With me! So Doctor “so brilliant” Maxine Myers has invented something so they can hurt me, has she? If she thinks she’s going to escape from Diana, she’s got another think coming! I happen to know that Diana’s very interested in using Doctor Myers’ mind. Blast it! Don’t you worry. We’re getting out of here, Albert. I keep my promises, anyway. To you, and to Simon Lauchlan. And we’re going to make things rather difficult for our friends back at Abel. I have a long range broadcasting signal. rings See? Those zombies will keep that bunch of Abel Township bastards off our backs. And I’ve got a little something for you, too. Come with me to the laboratory, quickly! PROFESSOR VAN ARK: See there? That little plane’s my way out of here. The zombies will keep them out of my way while I make my escape. No room for you, I’m afraid, but I’ve got a little present for you. Come here, Albert, for your injection. You think you’re going to report everything back to Diana, don’t you, Albert? You think you’re going to go back to her, like you’ve been doing for the past few months. Well, you’re not. Once this liquid reaches your blood-brain barrier – GOODALL shouts Ah, that’s worked more quickly than I expected. Good. There’s a case of it here, and instructions on how to make more. I’ve been working on this for months now. GOODALL shouts Oh, do shut up. You’ll thank me when you’re back in your right mind. Goodness me, it has done something rather odd at the injection site. I’m sure it’ll wear off. Right, I must dash, Albert. You probably shouldn’t stay around here any longer. I shouldn’t think Abel Township will want to take you in after working with me. And I expect you’ll want to free your other Comansys mind slaves. You’d better hurry away with that case. Go on, go! ALBERT GOODALL: So that was how it happened. SAM YAO: Van Ark freed you from the mind control himself? ALBERT GOODALL: And after I’d heard what he’d said about Doctor Myers, I knew my priority had to be getting her out of Abel. If Diana wanted her - well, we have to stop Diana getting anything she wants. I used the control tone box Van Ark had left. I didn’t know how to fine-tune it, so I just sent out a general broadcast. It brought all your people to the Comansys lab in the riverbed. I put them in the cryo freezers until I could work out what to do with them. SAM YAO: So Maxine’s not – uh, her limbs aren’t going to drop off, I mean? ALBERT GOODALL: No. Diana’s never had hold of her, so she’s okay for now. She doesn’t need the injection to break the control as long as she stays out of Diana’s range, which is why we’re here. SAM YAO: But the rest of you… ALBERT GOODALL: If any of us get in range of Diana, she’ll have us again. It’s hardly a permanent solution, is it? I administered the same injection that Van Ark had given me to some of my colleagues there, and they also got their minds back. It didn’t take very long. And then, we realized what we’d done, what we’d been a part of. SAM YAO: And what had you? ALBERT GOODALL: Diana wants control of everyone. Did you ever take that drink, CeretinPlus? SAM YAO: That Red Bull stuff for students? Nah, too much like hard work for me. People took it at uni, yeah, to stay up all night working and concentrate and stuff. I was up all night at the student radio station. ALBERT GOODALL: Then you’re lucky. It was a Comansys product. People who took it regularly – you had to build up a certain level in your brain over a certain amount of time, but if you did - SAM YAO: No! Man, no! ALBERT GOODALL: She’d been feeding it to the whole of Comansys for months. Enough CeretinPlus over the right period of time, and you’ll be susceptible to Diana’s mind control as a human. And if you become a zombie, you’ll be a fast zom. Something like this has been her plan from the start. Category:Mission Category:Season Three